Thursday, March 20, 2008

Re-wilding



I was on the phone recently with my good friend, Raw Vegan Steven,
who is the funniest raw-foodist I know.
We were talking about his future garden in Pennsylvania,
and I mentioned to him that he should buy seeds of wild weeds,
"weeds" like dandelion, purslane, lambs-quarters, and plantain.
I mentioned that he could have so much growing naturally in his yard
that he would never have to replant again,
and he would never run out because wild greens are so strong and prolific.

The best possible tasting and freshest greens you could dream of,
for the cost of a few packets of seeds.

Then the idea came to me. Why stop at just your yard?
Why not replant all public spaces with wild greens?

Why not????

Parks, vacant lots, anywhere that wouldnt be sprayed by pesticides.
Think about this.
We can become the modern Johnny Appleseeds of the world.
Overgrow the pharmaceutical companies naturally by re-wilding the suburbs,
and the cities as well, especially the cities.

Is it illegal to plant wild edible greens in public spaces?
I wouldn't be surprised if it was.
Nevertheless...I think the idea seed has been planted, if you know what I mean.
All areas could be available to us.

City Parks, open woodlots, even the old neighbor's untended front yard.
And once wild greens are planted, they spread. Just like good ideas.

Do they ever spread. Their life force is SO strong.
That is why these pesticide companies invest so much money
into killing these plants...because they are just so indestructible.
Just imagine if you started eating those (unsprayed) plants on a regular basis.
Embrace nature instead of trying to destroy it. What a concept...

I intend very soon to have my eating habits centered on
wild greens, freshly picked grapes and berries,
and fresh fruits and nuts right off the tree.

And if not right off the tree, then at the local farmer's market.
I will still grow tomatoes and cucumbers and melons,
but I think the essentials will be taken care of with those previously mentioned items.

"One does not accumulate, but eliminate.
It is not daily increase, but daily decrease.
The height of cultivation always leads to simplicity."
-Bruce Lee

Think about it.
The best possible foods you can eat are, in my opinion,
by far the easiest and cheapest to grow.
Wild greens and fruit trees, and I would include hemp (more about this soon)
if the United States was sane enough to let the people plant it.
All of these foods require basically no attention, and give the highest nutrition.

The modern living foods diet still rests on cultivated plants that need man to survive.

They are DOMESTICATED. WEAKLINGS. You are what you eat...no?

And most come from soil which isnt the best possible we could have.
What is more natural? What can we eat to mirror the ancient diet?
WILD PLANTS.

What contains the highest sources of minerals and lifeforce?
WILD PLANTS.

Can't find wild plants where you live?
Buy the seeds and plant them! The D.I.Y. ethos is in full effect.

Do...It...YOURSELF.

Here is what I just ordered from mountainroseherbs.com,

and saw that www.groworganic.com sells the same line of medicinal seeds.

Check it...

Astragalus Seeds
Burdock Seeds
Calendula Seeds
Chickweed Seeds
Dandelion Seeds
Marshmallow Seeds
Lavender Seeds
Nettle Seeds
Peppermint Seeds
Passionflower Seeds
Plantain Seeds
Skullcap Seeds
Wormwood Seeds
Licorice Seeds
Lemon Balm Seeds

Lambsquarters and Wild Arugula as well now...

Sound good?

I intend to plant them anywhere I can regularly visit and that is not sprayed.
No more waiting in line to buy kale...domestication!

There are no excuses anymore...
we have the knowledge and the resources to grow our own food EVERYWHERE.
We need no personal gardens. Re-create Eden here and NOW! Start planting!

-Anthony

10 comments:

Raw Bliss said...

One thing about guerrilla gardening and then using that plants/fruits/veggies to eat is the kind of polution in and around where they are planted!

So, choose a nice, clean, spot in public that is likely not get littered with animal waste, condoms(yeah, it does happen!), and other gross things and not near a street... Although, nonedibles are great to plant publicly to help clean the environment. :)

Go you! I want to join in on the public planting, but in Vegas, everywhere you go it's scary...:/

Anonymous said...

I was walking through my home town the other day looking around, and it all looks so dull and grey, so I had the idea (which is actually almost the same as you write about), I wanted to spread grass seeds all over town so that fresh green grass would grow through every crack in the pavement. Wouldn't it be a beautiful sight?

Love
Sanne.

raw by default said...

It would be cool if I could grow hempseeds. I go through those things like crazy. Problem is, the neighbours would probably think we had a "grow-op" and we'd get busted by the police. I can just imagine their expressions.

"Honestly, officer... I don't want to smoke it. I just want to eat it!" :)

Michelle said...

Hey Anthony, this post is just exactly what we were talking about sitting at Lifethyme looking out at the park across the street! I think its very doable and i am going to scout out some areas in and around my neighborhood as well as prospect park! This makes me very excited to be part of the raw community! Thanks dude!
Michelle

Timmizzy said...

I had the idea of being a Johnny Appleseed myself, about 3 1/2 weeks ago. Just planting seeds in different spots at this park right next to my apartment. I went online researching "how to grow an apple tree". Unfortunately, you have to sprout, then crossbreed it with another apple tree, and then it has a 1/100 chance of producing edible apples. I'm starting to grow my own food, but am not that advanced yet.
Also, I loved the fact that you mention hemp in this post, and more to come soon. Today I read over 13 different websites about why hemp, cannabis, or marijuana, has been made illegal. It actually made me somewhat frustrated about the whole situation. Instantly, I started thinking there has to be someway to make this stuff legal. I tried talking about this with someone else, and they instantly shut me out as soon as I mentioned Hemp. They said, "what's that", and I said, "It's a subspecies of marijuana, and that was the end of the conversation.
It seems most people only find a problem with things, when the problem is unsolvable. Maybe, running out of oil soon would be a great thing. I found that almost every other country in the world is in the "know" of hemp, and starting to industrialize it. I almost want to move to Canada. For living in the freeest country in the world, we really have strict "laws." What do you think is the most proactive way to promote Hemp?

yardsnacker said...

Always an inspiration when I come to your blog Anthony. I think Arnold Ehret would be very proud of your upcoming diet! Completely mucous free! I also think it is a great idea to spread wild seeds. Ha! What brilliance!

Anonymous said...

Love your posts. Since your talking about growing greens I found a book you might enjoy reading, since your one to think outside of the box. It's about using your own urine as a fertilizer on plants which helps them thrive and grow.

http://www.liquidgoldbook.com/

Raw foodists have the best pee to use too! Since we eat right!


-Sheila

Isle Dance said...

Totally!

Keely said...

I want to caution you about spreading peppermint and lemon balm seed in public areas. Both of these plants (especially the peppermint) spread like wildfire and choke out every other plant in their path. It is best to plant them in containers, where they can't do too much damage. You don't want to introduce a species that will completely overtake and kill the existing native plants. I made the mistake of planting spearmint and peppermint plants directly in the ground. My family could not consume it fast enough to keep it under control. Even with the neighbors picking it, I had to tear it out by the roots a couple of times a year (It grows right back) to keep it from overtaking the rest of the herbs.

Anonymous said...

Wow...I love this idea. How cool it would be to go around town planting things here and there. I could see myself replacing bought greens with these wild kinds. That being said, like you I like my tomatoes and cucumbers and other things that may not be «wild». I like cultivating things....but still, cool idea!

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